(I’m simply going to refer to it as the “new dashboard” because I can’t help but feel like a walking press release if I refer to it as the “New Xbox Experience.”)

One question some gamers have had is in regards to how dashboard themes will work now that everything is being completely redesigned. This wouldn’t be a big deal on any other system, but due to the fact that you (stupidly) have to pay for most dashboard themes, it definitely warrants addressing.

Above you can see a mockup from Microsoft of how an existing theme will work in the new dashboard. Provided, this is a mockup and might not be exactly how the final product looks, but I actually really dig it. I wasn’t a fan of the look with the gray background, but now I actually really like it. I can’t wait to plaster the thing with an X-Files theme.

You can also check out this set on Flickr for a look at the new Guide and game detail pages.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFscNQmCyJQ[/youtube]

Despite being my favorite character from the series (no doubt thanks to The Smoking Man from The X-Files), I always found myself frustrated that I could never kill G-Man when he popped up in various places throughout the Half-Life games. He was always JUST out of reach, which is probably what made it so tempting to try and get him, but it was never possible.

Luckily, that’s why we have Garry’s Mod. It’s not quite the same, but the ways in which you can kill him should provide more than a sufficient amount of satisfaction.

Quite a few maps and mods are used, all of which you can find in this Facepunch Studios forum thread.

The video was strangely satisfying for some reason, but like a commenter on digg said, “That ****er just won’t let go of his briefcase.” Ain’t it the truth.

Maybe you’re not pleased with the current selection of themes available to decorate your PlayStation 3 XMB. Maybe you’re trying to stick it Xbox 360 owners who have to pay for the majority of dashboard themes. (I know you can take one image of your own and make it the background on all blades, but it just ain’t the same.) Whatever your reasoning may be, Sony graphic artist Noel Silvia has posted an easy to understand how-to guide on PlayStation.Blog so that you can make your own PlayStation 3 themes — and you don’t need Photoshop to pull it off.

There are some files that you’ll need to download and you’ll need some sort of USB device or a memory stick to transfer the theme once you’ve made it, but those are the only hurdles you’ll have to deal with.

I’ve little to no intention of doing this myself, as regular readers will notice that anything I’ve tried to Photoshop in the past has become a horrible, twisted version of what I had imagined. But I look forward to seeing what the community comes up with — X-Files and/or Bourne, please!

PC gaming is dead!

We’ve all heard it over and over recently from many pessimistic sources in the games industry. They cite software piracy as a major culprit, claiming an incredible percentage of games are stolen. We’ve heard how PCs are so much more expensive to upgrade than consoles and with the seemingly infinite combinations of hardware, software and drivers is it any wonder consoles look so promising to developers? With each successive generation of systems, consoles have become more sophisticated and now rival the performance capabilities of midline PCs.

PCs are hard to write games for. Again and again, developers complain about the time and money involved in creating games for systems that have no standard specifications and have a wide range of performance capabilities. Consoles represent a base configuration, sure they may or may not hare a hard drive and even when they do the size might vary but its nothing like PCs and its use of different hardware, OS and drivers. There’s no guarantee that a game will work for every build out there even if the machine meets the minimum system specifications.

All these are legitimate complaints, but I think there is one very important reason why the cries of PC game death are false. PC games have an appeal that is uncommon among the proprietary game consoles by offering a training ground for future developers. Gamers modify PC games adding increased value for other players while granting the titles a longer life span if the mod scene takes off after release. Developers even plan for and encourage game owners to create new content and change existing code. What console offers this sort of tool? Some games come with tool sets packaged with the game, while others are free to download. Its become common for development teams to challenge amateur game makers to enhance or create new game content through contests, some – like the Make something Unreal contest, offer substantial prizes to the winners.

Read the full article

Nothing makes me more giddy than The X-Files, so I’m excited to bring word that the new X-Files flick has finally gotten a name: The X-Files: I Want to Believe. Okay, it’s not the most original title they could have come up with, but it is fitting, to say the least. The title was signed off by 20th Century Fox today, and the film is still on track for a release on July 25.

The slogan will be familiar to anyone who’s ever watched the show. The classic poster that sits behind Mulder’s desk in his basement office (and behind mine, for that matter) bears the words below a picture of a UFO. It appeared as early as the very first episode, and was first spoken during the fourth episode, “Conduit.” I’ll stop there before I get into then number of times it’s actually said.

“It’s a natural title,” said director and co-writer Chris Carter. “It’s a story that involves the difficulties in mediating faith and science. ‘I Want to Believe.’ It really does suggest Mulder’s struggle with his faith.”

Carter claims it was the title he wanted from the onset, but Fox executives were hesitant as they were unsure if it was a marketable title.

The first film held a loose subtitle of “Fight the Future” due to the way the words appeared on promotional posters. Those words ultimately ended up in an episode later in the series, in the episode “Three Words.” Guess what three words they were.

Alright, I’m stopping now. Seriously.

via ComingSoon.net

If I were presented with a list of all the many sub-genres that could fall under the umbrella of MMO games and was asked to order them from the most interesting to least interesting, I think I’d have the typical mainstream reaction. Orcs, elves and magic – anything of that nature will always interest me from a fiction standpoint, so it seems like I’d be naturally drawn to World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings Online. While I do currently play WoW, and have stints where I’ll forego sleep and food to play it late into the night, it’s a casual game for me. I might go days without playing. LotRO was my fantasy game; an open-world game set in the universe of The Lord of the Rings was honestly my one definitive dream game for many years.

So it’s now surprising, to say the least, to look back on the past several weeks at what game has occupied more of my time than anything else during that span. Goal Line Blitz is played through your browser and is almost entirely text-based; it’s basically an American football MMO. It’s still in beta and has many shortcomings. The concept is one of those things you say, “Oh, that sounds neat” about and never pay another second of thought to.

Instead, GLB is occupying my mind all the time and it’s got me glued to my computer seat. Read the full article

My older brother and I are in a ongoing competition with one another. This competition has been sometimes friendly, and at times argumentative – all in good fun mind you – about who is the biggest nerd. The crown of shame as I call it has passed forth between us on numerous occasions, especially when birthdays roll around. Why birthdays you ask? Because we tend to get each other the same sort of thing every year, and the present determines who is the biggest nerd. Usually the present in question focus on D&D, Star Trek, Star Wars, The X-Files and comic books, but one of the most prevalent gifts we buy each other is Resident Evil memorabilia.

During the glorious month of April, my brother will be getting the ultimate Resident Evil present, thus the nerd crown will be mailed back to me and I shall wear it with pride until he decides to outdo me in September. For you see, while perusing eBay last night for the perfect gift for my wonderful brother, I found a Halloween mask of “The Licker” from the Resident Evil series. This trumps any action figure, poster, pillow, chewing gum or the time he sent me a picture of him harassing Gillian Anderson (damn him anyway!).

I was tempted not to post this “buy it now” item on here lest one of you snatch it out from under me, but after serious consideration I just had to share it with you because it is just too darn cool.

We have been giving you information on the new X-Files movie ever since we got the first leaked video. Unfortunately, what we lacked were any official details concerning the plot, and no matter how much we sliced and diced the videos, they just did not reveal much if anything.

On Wednesday, Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz decided to dish a bit about the new X-Files movie at the William S. Paley Television Festival, and when I say “a bit” I mean that in the most minute sense of the word. According to Spotnitz:

“While this is not a mythology movie, it’s true to everything that’s come before. It’s true to Mulder and Scully, who they are and where they would be this point in their lives and all of the experiences that they’ve had.”

The title for the movie has yet to be revealed, and Carter stated that he could not divulge it at this time, but:

“I know what I want it to be, but Fox has some ideas of their own.”

According to Carter, the film takes place after the series ended and expands upon one of the stories he envisioned for the series before its conclusion. No aliens this time around folks, but information regarding Scully’s  supernatural son William is revealed.

The film is due out July 25 and I am marking the days off on my calender in anticipation of this glorious event. I have never seen a movie on opening day because I hate large crowds and the public in general, but for this I will have to make an exception.

Via: Yahoo Movies

I think the producers of the X-Files sequel certainly know their audience. That’s the only way I can explain why the only trailers we’ve been able to see for the film so far are from fan-shot videos at different conventions and festivals, since those seem to generate a more underground buzz. This newest trailer was shown at the Paley Film Festival yesterday, and it already tops the previous trailer. Still no official word on exactly what the plot of this one will be, but seriously, who cares? It’s X-Files! Just hearing those six distinct notes is enough to send a chill down my spine.